Garden Myth Unleashes "Weeds Gone Wild"

LEBANON, Pa., April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Apply pre-emergent garden weed preventer in early spring. That's the truth and it's also a myth, a myth that allows trillions of unwanted weeds to infest American gardens coast-to-coast. Yes, early spring is the optimal time to ward off weeds with pre-emergents.  But it's not the only time.

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Weeds need fighting spring, summer and fall.  Garden soil harbors millions of dormant weed seeds, long-lived and primed to sprout when exposed to light. Worse, more seeds arrive in gardens daily borne in by the wind, birds or animals as different types of weeds set seeds at different times, spring through fall. The potential invasion is staggering when individual mature weeds can produce up to 15,000 seeds per plant per season – and an astounding 70,000 seeds from even just one lambsquarter weed!

Pre-emergent garden weed preventers have plenty of work to do from early spring – starting when forsythia buds up and annual grassy weeds including crabgrass begin to sprout – through summer and fall, when annual broadleaved weeds such as henbit and chickweed chime in.

Those who think that they've missed the early prevention window haven't missed the boat. Different weeds germinate at different times. Gardeners may miss some types, but still head off others. Every weed stopped as a seed can equal thousands of weeds that don't have to be later killed or pulled, roots and all.

Weed seeds are dormant until exposed to light.  Adding mulch denies weed seeds necessary light. A pre-emergent weed preventer such as Preen stops weed seeds from rooting for three to six months, depending on product. Combining a pre-emergent with mulch offers a one-two punch, preventing weeds from seeds in the soil and in the mulch itself, while also protecting against new seeds that drift in.

Garden weed preventers, including corn gluten and Preen, stop would-be weeds when they're seeds. They bond to the soil, creating an invisible protective barrier against weeds in the top layer of soil and mulch, then breakdown in the soil and biodegrade.

Pre-emergents don't kill weeds. They prevent weed seeds from sprouting, thus eliminating future weeds before they happen. To learn more about weeds, weed prevention and to get timely seasonal gardening tips, visit www.preen.com.

SOURCE Preen